Starting Your IT DR Journey ...
Congratulations if you are reading this blog - I supposed you are an Information Technology (IT)
professional, either appointed to manage or be part of the team implementing and maintaining the
IT Disaster Recovery (IT DR) Program.
As this page can be pretty long, do select to read the relevant topics from the "Table of Contents"
found on the left column of this page.
Click on the "Blended Learning DRP-5000" icon to learn more about our IT disaster recovery
certification program to be offered globally via online facilitated learning.
Let's Start by Speaking the Same Language ...
If you are embarking on your IT DR journey and is starting from a "blank page", what should be the
steps that you should be undertaking. Alternatively, you may be "inheriting" an existing IT DR
project from your predecessor.
Do you have an existing IT DR framework and policy? Is
IT DR part of your IT Policy? IT Security Policy? You may find some of these terms in BCM
Institute BCMpedia.
Do you know who should be members of your IT DR team?
What is your roles in cyber security incidents?
Start with the Cyber Security Glossary
One of the critical steps for the IT DR journey is to “speak the same lingo.” Hence, it is important
that an organization establish its definition of a “disaster” when embarking on IT DR and the many
terms that are used during the implementation and management of this IT DR program. In our
context, the alignment and correct understanding of each IT DR terminology are critical.
What Is A Disaster?
A Disaster is a sudden, unplanned event that causes significant damage or severe loss to an
organization. It results in an organization failing to provide critical business functions for some
predetermined minimum period.
In the context of an IT Disaster, it denies organization access to "IT" people, "IT" processes and "IT"
infrastructure.
What Are the Key Terminology You Need to Know for Business
Continuity Management (BCM) and IT Disaster Recovery
(DR)?
Starting with "Six Key Terms Synonymous to "Disruption" You Need to Know for BCM?"
These terms apply to IT DR too mainly when it disrupts the IT systems and infrastructure.
What Exactly is IT Disaster Recovery?
What Are the Key Terminology You Need to Know for IT Disaster Recovery (IT DR)?
There are several essential concepts that professionals will need to know. It includes:
Deployment of cloud strategy
Appropriate selection of backup and duplication strategies
Data protection strategies
Raising awareness and gaining management support
Useful IT DR Readings
It would be useful for you as the appointed IT DR person to start by gathering information from
articles, case studies and analyzes of recent IT crises or disaster affecting organization's IT system
and infrastructure both inside and external to your industry. The key is to identify best-practice
recommendations and any common pitfalls.
Read some of the IT DR articles that is available of our LinkedIn Showcase (IT Disaster Recovery).
How Do I Start?
Globally or wherever is your home location, these IT DR training (with professional certification) can
be made available if you would like your team to be trained (in-house) via online videoconferencing
training supported by toolkits and tutorials.
If you have the need for IT DR competency training, you may want to take a look at the BCM
Institute's series of specialized IT DR courses (See the three previewed courses below). The quick
question is "Do I have the necessary skillset and know-how to do this job?" "What do I not know"? or
"How Do I Start My IT DR Learning Journey?"
The key focus of the course is to adopt comprehensive training on how to assess, analyse, develop,
implement, test, and maintain an IT Disaster Recovery Plan for both building resilience and resuming
and recovering your IT and telecommunications systems and infrastructure in the event of a disaster
or business disruption. The training provides a step-by-step planning methodology to ensure a
reliable and effective IT disaster recovery plan consistent with the industry's standards and best
practices.
The institute has competency-based training that leads to professional certification in IT DR. You
may want to review the following IT DR training courses (with professional certification) to
determine and upgrade the relevancy to your roles and knowledge.
What Type of Training Should I Attend?
Related courses globally are specific to business continuity management at your home location. If
you find the OR Institute's series of specialized OR courses useful, you may want to look at it.
The quick question is, do I have the necessary skillset and know-how to do this job? What do I "not
know"? How Do I Start My OR Learning Journey?
The institute has competency-based training leading to professional certification. You may want to
review the following OR courses to determine their relevance to your roles and prior knowledge.
What is the Competency Needed to Implement and Manage a IT DR Program?
For those who are experience and are seeking
to progress in your career, it is timely that you review and develop your own learning road map that
will accelerate both your knowledge, skill set and most important, your career.
If you are an IT professionals or assigned with the IT DR role, the institute recommends that you
should try to gain as much knowledge as possible before embarking on the IT DR implementation.
Here are some of the related courses to be considered.
Take stock by reviewing "What is My IT DR Competency Level?". You need to know where you are
"Know-Do-Manage"and where you aspire to reach or is required by the current IT DR role. You may
want to review the table below showing "What Types of Competency and Level of Course to
Attend?"
What IT DR Certification Can I Achieve?
IT DR Certification provides you with the necessary verification that you have the knowledge and
also the necessary experience to implement or manage the IT DR program.
The three levels of IT DR certification are as shown below. The types of the certification include DR
Certified Planner (DRCP), DR Certified Specialist (DRCS) and DR Certified Expert(DRCE).
To elaborate on the requirement to attain your certification, you can find more information on the
BCM institute's IT DR Certification webpage or read more on "How to Obtain Your IT Disaster
Recovery Certification?"
Is There A Good IT DR Reference Guide?
The institute has published a specialized BCM book called "A
Manager’s Guide to Implementing Your IT Disaster Recovery Plan."
You may want to get a copy of this book from the BCM Institute's
store.
This book will assist you in conceptualizing and developing your IT DR plan. You will learn how to
identify and evaluate IT risks, business impacts due to the risks, DR requirements and its
prioritization. At the same time, it provides a structural development approach that will save time
and cost in developing a cost-effective DR Plan that addresses all aspects of the business
requirements for IT services.
ISBN: 978-981-05-9215-8
Another specialized BCM book called "A Manager’s Guide to Business Continuity Management
for Cyber Security Incident Response." You may want to get a copy of this book from the BCM
Institute's store.
In view of the increased cyber security incident, both IT DR and BCM professionals must continue to
upgrade their competency to meet these growing threats to organisational resilience.
This book will guide organisations to effectively manage cyber security incidents closely operating
with BCM practices. Clear descriptions are provided on how the BCM team can incorporate cyber
security incident response (CIR) into the BCM planning methodology processes. The book explains
how cyber security incident response involves and integrates with all components within the
organisation and its relation to terminologies such as crisis communication (CC), crisis management
(CM) and IT disaster recovery (IT DR).
ISBN: 978-981-11-4158-4
How to Obtain Funding from the Singapore Government?
Do take note that Singaporeans and
Singapore Permanent Residents (PR) can opt to attend BCM Institute's DRP-5000 and can seek
funding from the government when attending the IT disaster recovery courses in Singapore.
